A common design trade-off in technology areas of fasteners and mounting systems is that devices capable of providing speed and efficiency in reversibly fastening two objects or mounting an object on a surface or other object sometimes lack holding power sufficient for heavy-duty applications. Conversely, fasteners and mounting systems that are robust in holding power sometimes lack convenience in fastening and mounting operations. Further, in some fastening and mounting technologies, each cycle of fastening and unfastening, or mounting and dismounting, degrades the performance of the fastener or mounting device. Several embodiments of the fastening or mounting apparatus aim to optimize these competing design considerations.